There’s no doubt that Canadian lacrosse players are having an increasing impact on the college game, and so their recruitment is becoming a more important initiative for college coaches.

I drove up to Oshawa, Ontario, this week for the annual All Canada Games, an event put on each year by Stu Brown and Brodie Merrill and sponsored by True North, an apparel brand that Merrill and Brown have recently launched to carry on the legacy of the late Chris Sanderson.

Held over the course of three days, the format features three recruit groups — 2015s, 2016s and 2017s — and teams put together based on geographical location. There are teams from British Columbia, the Mid-Western Canada, Ontario and from the Capital Region, which pulls players from the Ottawa area and Quebec.

There’s also teams from New York present, which is helpful for recruiters, not only to see some players from Upstate New York, but also because it provides an opportunity for Canadian players to show what they can do against teams that play field lacrosse more regularly.

The first day gave me the chance to see a group of 2017s from Ontario — already the highlight of the event. Brown, who runs Edge Lacrosse, says this group is special, similar to the group of players that included Mark Cockerton, Zach Palmer, Jeremy and Jason Noble and others who starred for Edge program before becoming household names through college lacrosse.

Here’s a look at some of the players who were really impressive Monday.

Luke Keenan, M, Ontario/Holy Trinity, 2016 - Keenan looks like he could play college lacrosse right now. The 6-0 midfielder, who plays Junior A for the Whitby Warriors, looked like he didn’t even have to play at full speed and was still dominating. He played on the face-off wing and came up with upward of ten ground balls in that scenario alone, and then several of those turned into transition opportunities. Keenan had a half-dozen hockey assists showing the ability to draw and dump and make defenses scramble. He also put up about six points in that game, showing a tremendous stick and the ability to carry through checks, one time throwing it to one hand, sneaking through and popping the top right corner with no room or angle. He scored a beautiful goal, cutting to the cage, catching with his left and yanking a low-to-high shot on the run. This Princeton commit has huge potential.

Cougar Kirby, A, Capital Region/IMG Academy (Fla.), 2015 - Kirby’s a slick, hustler of an attackman who, according to those who saw him this time last summer, has really elevated his game in a year’s time. The right-handed attackman made several impressive plays in the game I caught Monday, including a backhanded bounce shot to the top right corner. Kirby rode like a hawk, was constantly moving and showed savvy around the cage, as well as a cannon of a shot with smooth release. Kirby’s a great looking prospect for Albany.

Cameron Garlin, A, Ontario/Donald Wilson Secondary, 2017 - This kid’s going to be a hot recruiting target. A tall lefty attackman with great hands, he put on a great display of stick work and finishing the first time I watched him. He looks like he’s about 6-0, maybe 6-1. He had a pretty tough defender on him in a game against the NY 2017s and he had no problem dipping or face-dodging to the inside from the wing and finding just a sliver of space to shoot. He was lights out as a shooter, dialed into that top right corner. He showed incredible fakes and amazing hands. Garlin scored four times, making it look good, making it look easy.

Ryan Lanchbury, A, Ontario/Avon Old Farms (Conn.), 2017 - Lanchbury put on a clinic in a dominating win over the Capital 2017 squad, amassing, by my count, five goals and four assists. The ball is in and out of his stick in a flash, and he’s got great vision. His passes are accurate and happen very quickly. Very opportunistic, Lanchbury is small but resilient and shows wild lacrosse IQ. He’s not necessarily going to chew up a defender with dodges, but he’s dangerous off ball and seemed to have the defense looking for him all the time. When all is said and done, Lanchbury could be one of the top Canadian prospects in this class. (Expect more on some of the players from the Ontario 2017 team this week.)

Dan Balawejder, D, Ontario/St. Michael’s, 2017 - Balawejder is a big bruiser of a defender, standing about 6-0 and easily 220 pounds, thick and strong. He’s incredibly hard to move and showed some good position defense. He’s athletic, moved well up the field and helped smother attackmen with physical and relentless play. Balawejder throws some hard checks and is a good example of the underrated defensive prospects up in Ontario. He plays club for Edge Lacrosse.

Kyle Kolwich, D, Ontario/Holy Trinity, 2017 - A different type of prospect than Balawejder, but with just as much upside. Tall and rangy at 6-3 or more, Kolwich used his length to his advantage and was patient in waiting for the right time to throw checks. He caused several turnovers and was excellent when sliding to the ball. Kolwich also showed wheels coming up the field. Another excellent Canadian defensive prospect. He plays for Edge Lacrosse 2017.

Mac Forde, LSM, Ontario/Blake Lock High School, 2016 - This is one of the more intriguing defensive prospects. Forde goes at full speed at all times, hustling off the face-off wing, getting right in his guy’s hip pocket and just absolutely harassing ball carriers. Stout and physical, Forde’s father played in the Canadian Football League, and you can see he’s got athletic genes, with speed and strength. He throws incredible wrap and poke checks — I watched him literally put a guy on the turf with a single poke. Forde was all over the place and looks like a real player. He plays Junior B box lacrosse with the Oakville Buzz.

Bayley Tranmer, M/FO, Ontario/Trinity-Pawling, N.Y., 2016 - This was one of the standout two-way middies Monday. Tranmer showed excellent quickness and up-field speed, winning a bunch of draws to himself easily and then off to the races he went. He was very dangerous in transition and came up with loose balls in the middle of the field. Tranmer was also a good creator atop the box, backing in, drawing attention and then moving it quickly. He knows how to use hesitation and fakes to gain separation and make things happen. He plays club lacrosse for Edge.

Nathan Emery, M, Ontario/The Hill Academy, 2016 - A standout between the lines, Emery has speed and can run all day. He was all over loose balls and sparked a bunch of transition opportunities. He scored a goal dodging the left lane and used his wheels to gain separation and bury a shot on the run. A very athletic two-way midfielder who does work.

Nick Alberici, A, Auburn, N.Y., 2017 - Alberici showed a knack for scoring in the game I caught Monday. A smart off-ball player with an accurate shot, Alberici netted four goals in a variety of ways. At the right place at the right time, Alberici — the nephew of Army head coach Joe Alberici — has a nice shooter’s touch and game sense.